Some games incorporate such simplistic gameplay and aesthetics that they become addicting classics in an instant. coign of vantage is one of those games. An extremely simple puzzle game, you must rotate a clouds of 3D pixels to form a 2D image. You do this by moving your moves to any side, which rotates the image to that side. It's an excellent casual game and a great example of how a simple mechanic can be so engaging. There's also several tricks you begin to learn to speed up your time, which is awesome. A game with that sort of complexity is always welcome.

[Via TIGSource]

It was one of the biggest consumer electronic shows in the US but it seems having over 54,700 attendees in 2007 wasn't enough for Ziff Davis to continue hosting the New York City based DigitalLife event. The show, which was scheduled to be held in just a few weeks (September 25-28) has been canceled, according to a News.com story.

The story used an email from a Ziff Davis exec as its source, who stated that "poor economic conditions" was the reason for the pull out for 2008. He did add, "Hopefully, a bigger and stronger DigitalLife will return in 2009." The company recently came out of Chapter 11 bankrupcy. DigitalLife always had a strong gaming presense (it even hosted pro gaming tournaments on the show floor) and reportedly Ziff Davis was going to put more of an emphasis on gaming for the 2008 editiion before today's decision.

There's two sorts of adventure games. There's the kind popularized by King's Quest and the like, which are the hard, unforgiving games with great stories. The kind where puzzles twist your mind into impossible knots. Then there's the kind popularized by the LucasArts games of yore, with strange puzzles, but great humor and far more forgiving gameplay. The Vacuum falls into the second category. A retro-styled adventure game, you play the husband of a couple traveling across space in a cargo ship. There are several endings depending on your actions during the game.

[Via IndieGames]

Although MMO trailers might be grabbing all the attention today, it's worth taking some time out to check out the trailer for Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim. Even though the trailer doesn't go into much detail about what makes it more of a fantasy kingdom sim than any other real-time strategy game, it's provides a nice and relaxing break from war and destruction.

Download the Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim HD Trailer (24 MB)

There's nothing like some fun physics gameplay. Combined with playing it through your browser, you have a recipe for lots of procrastination at work. Ragdoll Cannon 2, a flash game on Armor Games, has addicting physics gameplay by the truckload. Controlling only a cannon that shoots ragdolls, you must hit a target, either by shooting your man deftly through obstacles or by moving said obstacles out of the way with bodies and then hitting the target. It's very relaxed and simple, which is great for a browser game, and as you can access it anywhere, it's doubly awesome.

[Via IndieGames]

It's comforting to know that amid trailers for fantasy-themed games like Wrath of the Lich King or Warhammer Online, that there's still room for Jumpgate Evolution, a sci-fi MMO focused on space exploration, trade and ship combat. So, if you're not interested in swords and sorcery, maybe hopping through a jumpgate may be more your style.

Download the Jumpgate Evolution HD Trailer (82 MB)

You may not be aware of Damnation yet but publisher Codemasters hopes this former "Make Something Unreal" finalist from developer Blue Omega Entertainment is a sleeper hit late this year. The publisher sent out a huge batch of new screenshots for the Unreal Engine 3 based action game for Games Convention this week.

Damnation takes place in an alternate timeline in America where the Wild West has taken a different turn. Look for high flying acrobatics from your main character, lots of vertical based levels and gameplay, vehicle combat and from the looks of the above screenshot lots of missing clothes from the females of this timeline. We will see if this former mod can make the transition to full-fledged retail game this fall.

Download the Damnation HD Trailer (20 MB)

The developers of Dark Void give the complete low-down on everything you need to know with three narrated videos. One provides background on the game's story, setting and general gameplay. The second gives (featured above) gives insight on the vertical cover and combat feature. Lastly, the final video describes what gameplay is like after you leave the ground altogether and take to the skies using the rocket pack. Everything you wanted to know about Dark Void is just a few downloads away.

Download the Dark Void Narrated Story HD Video (124 MB)
Download the Dark Void Narrated Vertical Combat HD Video (40 MB)
Download the Dark Void Narrated Flying HD Video (35 MB)

One of the biggest problems for real-time strategy (RTS) games has been the detached and disinterested attitude many players exhibit when faced with playing them. More often than not, a lot of people who consistently play RTS games are doing so out of their love for the strategy element. That's all well and good, but there's a caveat: The problem continues. Why? It does so because the cache of players who're highly dedicated to RTS games don't count for much of the PC gaming contingent.

I've considered Relic Entertainment a top-drawer developer ever since I casually sat down to play Homeworld 2, only to discover a game that would absorb several tens of hours of my life. So when initial previews revealed that Dawn of War 2 (DoW2) wouldn't focus on player-built structures, I was intrigued. I continued to read up on the game and subsequently found even more provocative information. Players will only control five or so squads in any one battle? These squads are to stay with you over the course of the game? This was a glaringly unprecedented change, and I loved it.

Click the image above to continue reading "Alt-Tab: Can RPG + RTS = cute baby?"

Whether you can't get enough of the spectacular graphics from Mirror's Edge or just a running fanatic, watching this video is definitely worth your while. It's about three minutes of a player running, climbing, jumping and sliding through a multilevel stage - taking out a sniper along the way. There's a lot of shaky action that could cause motion sickness, but focusing on the dot in the middle the screen should help a little.

Download the Mirror's Edge HD Video (921 MB)

The American pro football season is about to begin in a couple of weeks but the NFL has nothing on the Blood Bowl, the fantasy sports-strategy game based on the Games Workshop war game. Cyanide Studios is working on the PC game adaptation and for Games Convention they sent out some new screenshots showing off the athletes in action.

Blood Bowl is basically a turn based strategy game where an American football-like game has been turned into a battlefield with orcs, dwarves and other fantasy creatures put on helmets, get their pads together and use spells, extra buffs and more to get to the goal line. Cyanide plans to release the game in the first quarter of 2009.

MMO players who love PvP are already anxiously awaiting Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, and this new trailer keeps that hype going. If you like the Warhammer lore, want some more background on the Age of Reckoning world, or just want to see brutal swords and sorcery combat - this trailer has it all. Plus, there's a special reveal at the end. Hopefully, players will be able to smite their enemies with one of those things too.

Download the Warhammer Online HD Cinematic Trailer (175 MB)

The biggest game retailer in the US, Gamestop, announced its earnings for the second quarter of 2008 today and basically said, "Recession? What recession." Revenue was a whopping $1.8 billion for the quarter compared to $1.3 billion for the same period a year ago. Profits were $57.2 million for the quarter, nearly triple the amount at the same period a year ago when Gamestop had $21.8 million in profits.

Gamestop is raising its expectations for the full year of 2008 based on the performace of its second quarter sales, and they expect sales of games like Spore, Call of Duty: World at War and Lego Batman to help increase Gamestop sales.

Bionic Commando Rearmed just released last week, which gives some room to shift people's attention toward the next Bionic Commando, as we can see in this video shown at the Leipzig Games Convention. The upcoming game completely sheds the 2D trappings of the original and features action and powerful attacks in an open 3D environment. Some new screenshots from the game have also been released.


Download the Bionic Commando HD Trailer (78 MB)

Arguably the best part of waiting for any Blizzard game is getting to see the cinematic trailer, and Wrath of the Lich King does not disappoint. This opening for video for the upcoming expansion shows off high quality and style we expect from Blizzard. It also shows the extent in which Arthus the Lich King's power has grown. Dedicated World of Warcraft players are already beating at the doors to face this challenge.

Download the Wrath of the Lich King HD Cinematic Trailer (98 MB)